Stand up and speak out, while you still can

From Bruce McQuain at his QandO blog:

It is the point the liberal left in this country still doesn’t understand. The looters have finally been noticed by looted and the looted aren’t at all happy.

No. Not at all happy. The traditional punishment for looters is to be shot on sight. Maybe they’ll acquire a clue or two before it comes to that. I fear for my country.

McQuain continues:


The “lumpen electorate” has finally had enough. They want to keep what they earn. They want less government. But that’s an anathema to politicians who have built whole lives and careers on providing more government. It’s like an addiction – they can’t stop what they’re doing or how they’re doing it.

And, unfortunately, even though the masses seem unhappy with the size and cost of government, they too are addicted to a certain level of government. They too have an addiction to break.

The question, of course, as far as libertarians are concerned, is how these two addictions can be addressed and overcome so that government’s size and cost can be scaled back to a proper and legitimate size? And where are the leaders to do this?

Until they emerge – and there is nothing to say they will – this cycle of unrest which sees the swapping out of political parties will continue. But you have to believe that at some point, the disenchantment with the current political regime (and both parties make up that regime) will come to a flash point. What that flash point will entail – the range of possibilities is vast – is anyone’s guess.

The way out is simple: those people who are pushing for all of this government expansion must stop pushing, before the people who are being pushed begin to seriously push back. And I really, really mean the word “seriously.” This has the potential to go way beyond “politics as usual.” Our country–a large segment of it, anyway–is starting to red-line. Somebody has to step in and provide some sanity. But the only person on the national stage who’s both in a position to do so, and might be inclined to do so, God help us, is Sarah Palin.

I’m a fan of Sarah Palin–awkward speech patterns and all–but I don’t want the future of the Republic resting on her–or on anyone.

So, for now at least, we can still disagree peacefully with those we politically oppose. I intend to do that, by attending Freedom Fest 2009[*1] in Kansas City Saturday, September 5th.

UNITED WE STAND

Freedom Fest 2009

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2009

Time: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Location: Theis ParkIntersection of Oak and 47th Street, KC,MO.(Across from the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, 1 Block East of the Country Club Plaza)

Combining leading voices of entrepenurship, faith, race relations and entertainment with great food and drink. You’ll hear author and radio host of the Big Black Lie, Kevin Jackson–frequent guest contributor on the Fox News Network; Director of Health Policy Studies for the CATO Institute, Michael Cannon: Host of the Christian Politician, Apostle Claver, and music from Outlaw Jim and The Whiskey Benders also featuring Melanie Owen, Angelo Mino and Beverly Gossage.

Stand up for yourself, be seen, be heard. While you still can.

No Thugs Allowed.

UPDATE: “lumpen proletariat” is a phrase first used–or at least popularized–by Karl Marx[*2] . I did not know that.

C